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New Chancellor Announced

The Yuba Community College District (YCCD) Board of Trustees has announced the selection of Dr. Douglas B. Houston as YCCD’s next Chancellor. Dr. Houston currently serves as the Superintendent/President of Lassen Community College District and once approved will assume the post of YCCD Chancellor effective July 1, 2011, replacing Dr. Nicki Harrington who announced her intent to retire in January at the end of this academic year. The Board of Trustees is expected to formally appoint Dr. Houston at a special meeting set for Wednesday, May 18th at 5:30 P.M. in the District Board Room.

Dr. Houston’s appointment marks the culmination of an extensive national search process that began in February. The comprehensive search was initiated by the YCCD Governing Board, with the assistance of consulting services by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). The process started with campus forums February 22-23, 2011 to garner input from the public and the campus community on the development of a Chancellor Profile. Applications and nominations for the position of YCCD Chancellor were accepted through mid-April. A strong applicant pool was attained and the search committee selected candidates for interview, ultimately narrowing to three finalists being forwarded to the Board for consideration in final interviews. On May 9-10 public forums were held for each final candidate at Woodland Community College, Yuba College, and for the Clear Lake Campus to allow the public, students and staff an opportunity to observe the three candidates, hear each one’s views as the prospective next Chancellor, pose questions, and provide feedback.

YCCD Board Chairman Xavier Tafoya stated, “The hard work of the search committee, chaired by YCCD Board Vice-Chair Brent Hastey, is to be commended. The committee worked tirelessly over several months and forwarded to the Board three exceptionally well-qualified final candidates for the Board’s consideration. Following the open public forums and final interviews by the Board of Trustees, Dr. Houston was selected as the next Chancellor for our District.” Dr. Houston received a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Pepperdine University. He earned his Masters and Bachelors of Science Degrees in Physics, both from the University of Florida, Gainesville. Prior to his role as CEO for the Lassen Community College District, Dr. Houston served in various administrative positions at Butte College in Oroville, California and at Barstow College in Southern California.

The Yuba Community College District spans eight counties and nearly 4,200 square miles of territory in rural, north-central California. It has colleges in Marysville and Woodland, an educational center in Clearlake, outreach operations at Beale Air Force Base and in Williams, and will be adding an outreach facility in Sutter County as part of the Measure J facilities bond.